You cannot choose your child's friends for him, but you can help him learn to choose friends wisely.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are a few ways to help your child make friends.

    Build your child's self­confidence.

     When he succeeds or has made a great choice, tell him you're proud of him.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Your middle school student is going through many changes and may feel like he isn't “good enough”. Building his self­confidence will help him feel more confident and will make it easier for him to form healthy friendships.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Give him your full attention when he talks, and really listen to what he has to say.

    Discuss the qualities in a friend with your child.

    Discuss with your child the qualities that matter most, such as being reliable and kind, and making good choices when it comes to avoiding alcohol and tobacco.

    Get to know your child's friends.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}It's more important to talk with them and find out what they like to do. Allow your child to invite his friends over and get to know them better.

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    Afterschool clubs and sports programs are good places for meeting new people. Be open to exploring different activities with your child to find something that he enjoys.

A. Friends are very important for us.

B. Introduce your child to new groups of people.

C. Talk with your child every day and listen to his concerns.

D. Try not to judge your child's friends based on how they dress.

E. When he does not succeed, help him feel better and keep trying.

F. You can teach him ways to find friends who will have a positive influence on him.

G. There are many types of friends and we should be careful when making our choices.

Forgiveness

    To forgive is a virtue (美德), but no one has ever said it is easy. When someone has deeply hurt you, it can be extremely difficult to let go of your hate. However, forgiveness is possible, and it can be surprisingly beneficial to your physical and mental health. People who forgive show less sadness, anger and stress and more hopefulness, according to a recent research.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Try the following steps:

    Calm yourself.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}You can take a couple of breaths and think of something that gives you pleasure: a beautiful scene in nature, or someone you love.

    Don't wait for an apology. Many times the person who hurt you does not intend to apologize. They may have wanted to hurt you or they just don't see things the same way.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Keep in mind that forgiveness does not necessarily mean becoming friends again with the person who upset you.

    Take the control away from your offender(冒犯者). Rethinking about your hurt gives power to the person who causes you pain. Instead of focusing on your mounded feelings, learn to look for the love, beauty and kindness around you.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}If you understand your offender, you may realize that he or she was acting out of unawareness, fear, and even love. You may want to write a letter to yourself from your offender's point of view.

    Don't forget to forgive yourself.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}But it can rob you of your self-confidence if you don't do it.

A. Why should you forgive?

B. How should you start to forgive?

C. Recognize the benefits of forgiveness.

D. Try to see things from your offender's angle.

E. For some people, forgiving themselves is the biggest challenge.

F. To make your anger die away, try a simple stress-management technique.

G. If you wait for people to apologize, you could be waiting an awfully long time.

How Can I Fight Laziness?

    Lazy people will never amount to anything in life. However, laziness can be defeated once a few changes have been made in your mind.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Many people lack sleep constantly, since they stay up too late and get up too early to prepare for work. These people have little motivation once they arrive home. Laziness works hand in hand with a lack of motivation and a tendency (趋势) to put off things. By adjusting your sleep schedule to provide a few more hours of meaningful rest, you can fight laziness throughout the day.

    Another way to fight laziness is to change your mind from passive to active.   {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Others take a more active approach, viewing each task as a challenge they must overcome alone. Laziness sets in when you no longer feel in charge of your own life.

    Some people fight laziness by removing the temptations (诱惑) that surround them. A television in the living room may provide entertainment. However, watching too much TV in your spare time often contributes to laziness. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Complete a few tasks and reward yourself with what you enjoy, such as a good dinner or a film. Laziness can also be a lasting problem at home. Couples and children may all have different energy levels, but laziness can be spread if not dealt with immediately.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Be the first to collect and wash dishes after a meal. Others in the home may eventually follow your example and perform their own task. It is difficult to practice laziness when you are surrounded by motivated people.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Enough exercise and a balanced diet can enable you to have more energy and help lift your spirits.

A. To fight family laziness, set an example.

B. Knowing how to fight laziness is important.

C. One way to fight laziness is to get enough sleep.

D. Finally, developing a healthy lifestyle can help you fight laziness.

E. With strong determination (意志力), you will be able to achieve your goal.

F. Some people treat their lives as if they were pushed from task to task.

G. Create a reward system for yourself, just as parents do for a child.

    Reading books is one of the best hobbies. It not only helps you pass your time but also helps you increase your knowledge in a meaningful manner. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here we will give you a few tips that can help you.

    Fall into the habit of borrowing books to read.

    This is a very old school practice but still it can be highly effective. When you borrow a book, there is obviously a deadline set. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Read everywhere.

    Keep a book in your bag and read it anywhere you go. This will help you to pass your time in a very productive manner. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Anyway, you can read your book 24 hours a day.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    This can easily be described as a new school technique. You can read out to your brother or sister and this will enable you to finish your book as well as increase the knowledge and understanding of your brother or sister.

    Choose your books very carefully.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Thus choose your books very carefully in order to enjoy your time and also finish your book effectively. If you choose a good book that can keep you interested for a longer period of time, there is no way that you are going to leave it incomplete.

A. Therefore, it is necessary to develop the reading habit.

B. Realize the importance of reading books.

C. Read out to someone else.

D. Find an excuse to read every day just by visiting book clubs.

E. This can encourage you to read it often to finish the book on time.

F. It doesn't matter whether you are traveling or are about to sleep.

G. Yes, life is too short to read a book that doesn't impress you.

    Word travels quickly in the small fishing village of Port Washington, Wisconsin. So when Mardy McGarry wanted to build a playground for kids with special needs, she knew it wouldn't take long to create interest in the project. But she never expected that a third of the town people would join in it.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    "A lot of learning comes through play," says McGarry, a special education teacher for 28 years. She'd seen the wood chips and sand of traditional playgrounds stop wheelchairs dead in their tracks.

    When a piece of land became available, the city council agreed to choose a part for a playground.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}She asked classrooms of kids for their wish list. She also asked experts for help. And she brought on board her friend Sue Mayer, whose eight-year-old son, Sam, has a serious disease.

    Her Kiwanis Club chapter came through with $ 7,000, and that's when the grassroots movement really got started. One woman gave $ 25,000 and had her company donate the same amount.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}There were silent auctions(拍卖) and T-shirt sales. The local Pieper Family Foundation offered to donate half of the remaining $170,000 balance if McGarry could raise the rest. The $ 450,000 covered materials, but the actual construction would cost an additional $ 900,000. Not a choice. But the community could build it.

    On September 16, 2008, the first day of construction, they came. Two women heard about the project on the radio on the way to work and took the day off to help.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Ten-year-olds sanded surfaces.

    Today, Possibility Playground is one of the most popular destinations in Ozaukee County. There's a giant pirate ship, a rock-climbing wall, high and low rings, monkey bars, sandboxes, swings, slides, bridges and so on.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}It's exactly what McGarry wanted. People used to ask why she wanted to build a playground just for children with disabilities. "They didn't get it. It's only when you build a playground for children with disabilities that you build one for all children," she said.

A. Soon smaller businesses were helping.

B. All children play shoulder to shoulder.

C. But her students were too often left out.

D. Everyone thought it was really a great wonder.

E. A couple in their 80s operated their own trucks.

F. McGarry started researching play equipment and contacting design firms.

G. They rolled up their sleeves and used their weekdays to bring her idea to life.

    Are you happy with your appearance？{#blank#}1{#/blank#} "Almost all the girls with single﹣fold eyelids in our class have had double﹣eyelid operations," Zeng, a Senior 2 student from Chengdu, told Xinhua. Zeng had the same surgery done this summer. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    From popular photo﹣editing apps to plastic surgery, it seems that large eyes, pale skin and a skinny body are the only standard for beauty these days. But can following this standard really make us feel good about ourselves？

   {#blank#}3{#/blank#} According to Huxiu News, over six in ten girls choose not to take part in certain daily activities, such as attending school, because they feel bad about their looks. As much as 31 percent of teenagers avoid speaking up in class because they worry that others will notice their looks.

    Many teenagers are upset about their appearance because they believe in unrealistic standards of beauty, experts say.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Seeing all these things can make anyone believe that they're too dark, too fat, too short, or too tall.

However, trying to live up to strict standards can make us feel anxious. What troubles us is not just our "imperfect" looks, but the fact that we criticize ourselves too much.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Plus﹣size models are being featured in some fashion shows. All of us should be just as confident as they are.

A．Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes．

B．Body image anxiety is common among teenagers．

C．Guys care just as much as girls do about their body image．

D．Some teenagers might feel negatively about their appearance．

E．She and many of her classmates believe bigger eyes look more beautiful．

F．It's not uncommon for teenagers to feel confident about their appearance．

G．Perfect faces and bodies are everywhere in advertising TV shows and social media．